NOVEMBER, 2014 Sat.Nov. 15, 2:30PM Bennett Muraskin “Origin and Meaning of Askenazi Names” Sat.Nov. 22, 10:15 AM Jewish History Buffs At the home of : Charlotte Schacter 668-4293 4 Park Lane, Apt. Mt. Vernon PLEASE RSVP charschachter@gmail.com We will continue discussing “My Promised Land” Our discussions on Israel have been heated and exciting. Please come and join us. FOR THIS MONTH’S MEETING ARRANGE TO CARPOOLP ARKING IS DIFFICULT. VOLUME 11, # 3 When Did You Get Your Family Name? Ashkenazic Jews were among the last Europeans to take family names. Some German-speaking Jews took last names as early as the 17th century, but the overwhelming majority of Jews lived in Eastern Europe and did not take last names until compelled to do so. Join us and find out more! Bennett Muraskin is the author of Humanist Readings in Jewish Folklore, Let Justice Well Up Like Water: Progressive Jews from Hillel to Helen Susman, and The Association of Jewish Libraries Guide to Yiddish Short Stories. He conducts adult education programs for the Jewish Cultural School and Society, in West Orange, NJ, and the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations. The program will be followed by a Havdalah service. BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS Rabbi’s Corner 2014 Board of Directors Dmitry Turovsky .........................President Ann Toffel.....................................Vice-President Irving Kleiman Treasurer Janine Simon ............................... Secretary Jack Billig ............................ Member-at-Large Diane Steinfink ..................... Member-at Large Committees Ceremonial..(Pro Tempore)......Dmitry Turovsky Rabbi: FrankTamburello http://www.lihumanistceremonies.com/ Education....................................Channing Stave Jewish Education School..............Channing Stave channing.stave@yahoo.com 914-793-7770 Jewish History Buffs...........................Gloria Weil grweil@optonline.net 914-235-2612 Hospitality......................................rotating Membership ( Co-chairs) Janine Simon and Barbra Baum losimon@me.com 725-5431 gbaummd@verizon.net 725-1402 Programs.................................... Channing Stave channing.stave@yahoo.com 914-793-7770 Publicity Co-chairs Charlotte Klein- advertising Gloria Weil- newsletter grweil@optonline.net 914-235-2612 For general information or questions Please contact Dmitry Turovsky, 713-8828 aristophil@yahoo.com or search our website, wchj.org RABBIʼS CORNER A THANKSGIVING HUMANIST MEDITATION by Naomi King Let us join and hands and hearts in gratitude on this wondrous day where we have the abundance of our lives before us. We remember this day of bounty all of those who do not have enough, who are afraid, who are lonely, and who suffer. We wish for the abundance of this world to be shared, for fear to become love, for the lonely to feel welcomed, and for the suffering to know rest and joy. For the labors, the love, the care that gave us the delights of this and every day, we say "thanks!" For the nourishment of our spirit, the challenges that strengthen us, and the friends we have on the journey, we sing "thanks!" For all that is our lives, for these good gifts, we whisper, "thanks!" Overflowing with gratitude, let us shout, "thanks!" 2 Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world Please join me now in making a critical contribution to AJWSʼs Emergency Response Fund. With deepest gratitude, Ruth Messinger, President, AJWS EBOLA CRISIS IN LIBERIA Stop the Deadly Spread of Ebola Your generosity enabled our Emergency Response Fund to grant $144,000 to 10 Liberian organizations . But despite this swift response, it’s clear that as the Ebola outbreak escalates, our trusted local partners are in dire need of increased support.. Our goal is to raise an additional $800,000 to aid Liberian organizations that we have worked with for many years in overcoming the rampant mistrust—and halting the spread of this horrificdisease. Any amount you can give today will help prevent nfection and save lives 3 WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY OF HUMANISTIC JUDAISM PRESENTS WHAT’S IN A NAME ? THE STORY OF ASHKENAZIC NAMES WITH AUTHOR BENNETT MURASKIN LEARN ABOUT HOW JEWISH NAMES ORIGINATED IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE GREET AND MEET NON THEISTIC JEWISH MEN AND WOMEN ENJOY A LIVELY Q & A SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2:30 PM Community Unitarian Church, 468 Rosedale Ave, WP No charge for admission, but donations are welcome For more information visit www.wchj.org 4 “HANNUKKLAAS”? A holidayday uniting Christmas and Hannukkah? Or a relic of the deep involvement of Dutch Jews in the slave trade? THE HAGUE, Netherlands (JTA) — On a busy street near the Dutch Parliament, three white musicians in blackface regale passersby with holiday tunes about the Dutch Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, and his slave, Black Pete. Many native Dutchmen view dressing up as Black Pete in December as a venerable tradition, but others consider it a racist affront to victims of slavery. With Holland marking the 150th anniversary of abolition this year, the controversy over Black Pete has reached new heights. Hundreds demonstrated against the custom in Amsterdam last month. Nearly all of the community immigrated to Holland, bringing their accumulated wealth with them. Some of that wealth was on display last year in the cellar of Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue, part of an exhibition celebrating the synagogue’s immigrant founders. On the Caribbean island of Curacao, Dutch Jews may have accounted for the resale of at least 15,000 slaves Through it all, Dutch Jews — some of whom landed by Dutch transatlantic traders, according to celebrate their own version of the Black Pete Seymour Drescher, a historian at the University of custom, called “Hanukklaas” — have largely Pittsburgh. At one point, Jews controlled about 17 remained silent. percent of the Caribbean trade in Dutch colonies, But that changed in October, when an Orthodox Drescher said. Jews were so influential in those colonies that slave auctions scheduled to take place rabbi wrote a scathing critique about it in on Jewish holidays often were postponed, according Republiek Allochtonie, a Dutch news-andto Marc Lee Raphael, a professor of Judaic studies at opinion website. “The portrayal of ‘Peter the the College of William & Mary. slave’ dates back to a period when we as citizens did not meet the social criteria that In the United States, the Jewish role in the slave trade bind us today.” has been a matter of scholarly debate for nearly two decades, prompted in part by efforts to refute the In one area of what used to be Dutch Guyana, Nation of Islam’s claim that Jews dominated the 40 Jewish-owned plantations were home to a total population of at least 5,000 slaves. Jewish Atlantic slave trade. bankers handled it,” he said. “Non-Jews were Read more: http://www.jta.org/2013/12/26/news-opinion/ also complicit, but so were we.” Known as the world/dutch-rabbi-confronts-jews-with-ancestors-complicityin-slavery#ixzz3GcIUpl7T Jodensavanne, or Jewish Savannah, the area had a Jewish community of several hundred before its destruction in a slave uprising in 5 1832. JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER MID-WESTCHESTER WILMOT RD,. SCARSDALE Q&A with Martin Fletcher Wednesday November 19, 2014 7:30 PM Martin Fletcher is interviewed by Joseph Berger on his latest novel Jacob's Oath as well as Fletcher's unique perspective on life in Israel. Martin Fletcher is the author of 4 books. A five-time Emmy-winning TV news correspondent who has been the NBC News Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv, he is currently a Special Correspondent for NBC News. Ask the Rabbis: Current State of Judaism in America Tuesday December 9, 2014 7:30 PM Join Joseph Berger as he engages in a lively discussion with four local Rabbis on their movements' perspective of the state of Judaism in America. Rabbis Jonathan Blake of Westchester Reform Temple, Lester Bronstein of Bet Am Shalom, Jonagthan Morgenstern of Young Israel of Scarsdale, and Gordon Tucker of Temple Israel Center. BUY TICKETS NOW AT: http://jccmw.org/adults-andseniors/arts-and-talks 6 DATES AT A GLANCE 2014-15 Sat. Nov. 15, 2:30PM Bennet Muraskin CUC* Sat. Nov. 22, 2:30 PM Jewish History Buffs At Charlotte Schacterʼs Sun. Dec.14 “Simon Wiesenthal” Acorn Theatre NYC Sat. Dec.20, 10:15 Jewish History Buffs Neil Holbertʼs Sat. Jan 11, 2:30 Westchester Klezmer CUC* Sat. Jan. 24 Jewish History Buffs At Pat Hammerʼs * CUC- Community Unitarian Church Executive Board Meeting: Nov.1, 11 AM At the home of Barbra Baum DIRECTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY CHURCH 468 Rosedale Ave. White Plains, NY Take the Hutchinson River Pkwy. to exit 25, which is North Street. Follow the signs to White Plains, left if you are going,south, onto North St. At first traffic light left onto Rosedale Ave. The church is one block down on the right. Look for red sign at entrance. At first traffic light turn left onto Rosedale Ave.The church is on the right. Look for red sign at entrance. 7 Tentative programs for 2014-15! ! ! ! ! HANNUKAH-Theater party and lunch “Wiesenthal”- a play about Simon Wiesenthal”, Theater, NYC, Hannukah lunch beforehand at Toloache (Mexican restaurant with Jewish roots) WESTCHESTER KLEZMER TU B’SHVAT PURIM PASSOVER Model Seder, 7 PM YOM HASHOAH Film- Life of Theodore Herzl SHAVUOT Art Show and Norah Ephron Dec. 14 Jan 11 Feb. 4 March 7 March 31 April 18 May 23 8